Palm leaf; 7 lines on a folio.

Winternitz notes that there is an entry by C. M. Whish dated 'December 1831', and he thinks the manuscript is not much older than this.

Manuscript consists of a fragment or fragments of a work belonging to the Saṃgītaśāstra, and treating of the art of dancing and acting, especially the expression (abhinaya) of female dancers. Winternitz doubts whether the title given by C. M. Whish (Nāṭyalakṣaṇa) is correct. Th. Aufrecht considered that the work was the Abhinayadarpaṇa, attributed to Nandikeśvara.

Text begins: hastabhāvaśirodṛṣṭirekhāpuṣpāñjalis tathā | mukhacālīyacālīyā dvādaśāṃgam ataḥ paraṃ || patākalakṣaṇaṃ | prasāraṇam aṃgulīnām aṃguṣṭhasya ca kuñcanāt patākākhyakaraproktaḥ karaṭīkavicakṣaṇaiḥ | nāṭyāraṃbhe pārivāhe vare vastuniṣedhake | kucasthale niśāyāñ ca nadyām amaramaṇḍale | etc.

F.30b ends: ity abhinayadarpaṇaṃ || hariḥ om | śrīgurave namaḥ |

F.31 begins: haṃsāsyahastalakṣaṇaṃ | maddhyamādyās trayoṃgulyo viraḻā prasṛtā yadi | tarjanyaṃguṣṭhasaṃśleṣāt karo haṃsāsyako bhavet | etc.

F.35 ends: vāme tu mṛgaśīrṣaṃ syāt dakṣine ca kapitthakaṃ | rādhāyā darśane caiva ratnāvaḻī niyujyate || śrīgurubhyo namaḥ ||

F.35b begins: raṃgalakṣaṇaṃ | purodeśe narapater ddaśahastaparākramāt | devalaye sabhāyāñ ca bhaveyuḥ puratas tathā | etc.

F.36b breaks off with the words: anyathā nṛtyate caiva brahmahatyādipātakaṃ | etau tau viparītau tu baddhne strīpuṃsayos tathā ||

F.37 begins: makāras tu mahādevo dakāro danujāntakaḥ | etc.

F.38 ends: purato Bharatācāryyo narttakīvākalāvatī | tatpaścāt gāyakas tiṣṭhet paścāt gaṇikā daśa | aṣṭau ṣaḍ vā catasro vā bhaveyu pa [read bhaveyuḥ] | vibramānvitāḥ iti nāṭyalakṣaṇam ucyate || hariḥ oṃ ||

F.39 begins: tantrīrāja namas tubhyaṃ tantrī layasamanvitā | gandharvakulasaṃbhūta śeṣākāra namostu te | etc.

The manuscript breaks off (f.41) with the words: staṃbapraḻayaromāñcasvedo vaivarṇyam eva ca | aśruvaispūryyam ity āṣṭau sātvikāḥ parikīrttitāḥ |

South Indian Sanskrit / Whish Manuscript Collection.

See ’A catalogue of South Indian Sanskrit manuscripts (especially those of the Whish Collection) belonging to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland’ by M. Winternitz, with an appendix by F. W. Thomas (London: RAS, 1902) p.150-151. Go to http://tinyurl.com/j3tkdwj for a digital copy of this catalogue. See also 'Classified index to the Sanskrit MSS. in the Palace at Tanjore' by A. C. Burnell (London, 1880), p.60, where a work called Abhinayadarpaṇa is mentioned.

J. L. Whish, gift of manuscripts collected by his brother C. M. Whish, July 1836.

Text in Sanskrit; Grantha script.

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